Analysis of Contentment
Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)
Happy the man that, when his day is done,
Lies down to sleep with nothing of regret--
The battle he has fought may not be won--
The fame he sought be just as fleeting yet;
Folding at last his hands upon his breast,
Happy is he, if hoary and forespent,
He sinks into the last, eternal rest,
Breathing these only works: 'I am content.'
But happier he, that, while his blood is warm,
See hopes and friendships dead about him lie--
Bares his brave breast to envy's bitter storm,
Nor shuns the poison barbs of calumny;
And 'mid it all, stands sturdy and elate,
Girt only in the armor God hath meant
For him who 'neath the buffetings of fate
Can say to God and man: 'I am content.'
Scheme | ABABCBCD EXEXFDFD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1001111111 1111110101 0101111111 0111111101 1011110111 101111001 1101010101 1011011110 11001111111 1101010111 111111101 1101011100 0111110001 1100010111 11110111 1111011110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 668 |
Words | 133 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 258 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 65 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 27, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 99 Views
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"Contentment" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12929/contentment>.
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